Rails in railraod track systems originally were individual sections which were joined together at their ends by means of strap bars bolted to the rails. Each joint constituted a potential weak spot, and the joints present an uneven rolling surface for train cars to ride over.
As a result, a field welding process was brought into use for welding the ends of rail sections together to form a unitary track section many times longer than the length of individual rail segments. By welding several rail segments together, weak spots are eliminated and a smoother track surface is obtained.
The smooth track surface provides less rolling resistance to train cars and, thus, the train engines consume less fuel when travelling over such smooth surface. Also, there is reduced wheel and rail wear. Furthermore, track life is lengthened. The end result of welding the rail sections together is that much upkeep expense is avoided, train operating expense is reduced, and possible accidents are averted.
Although the actual welding process and compositions used in the welding process are now conventional and well accepted, there has not heretofore been provided a simple, accurate and effective system for aligning the rail ends to be joined by welding. Typically, it has been necessary to align the rail ends by driving wedges under the rails until (after trial and error) the desired alignment is obtained. This technique is time-consuming and always subject to various elements of error.
The problems and limitations of the prior alignment technique are overcome with the present invention.